Two years ago, one of our camps ended on a tough note. It challenged us in ways we didn’t expect—and taught us a valuable lesson we’ll never forget. With our first camp this year just a week away, I’m excited to share a blog post I wrote afterward that explains what happened, what we changed, and how it transformed our camps for the better.

Since making this shift, every camp has ended on a high note—full of energy, teamwork, and fun. What we learned might be helpful in your own coaching, parenting, or mentoring journey.

If you’ve been around softball long enough, you’ve probably heard some pretty funny complaints about pitching. Even though we can laugh about them now, these moments show us what players, parents and coaches really need to learn—both mentally and physically.

Here are some of the funniest things we’ve heard, and what they really mean—from the most experienced players to beginners just getting started.

“My mom forgot my binder.”

Oak Park River Forest takes on Oswego tonight at 5:30 p.m.—and it’s incredible to see so many local athletes representing our amazing softball town! I'm especially proud to see current and former Practice Pro pitchers on the roster: Anna Topel, Georgia Godellas, Leia Hammerschmidt, Arielle Spurlock, Avery Lane, Gloria Hronek, Gabrielle Chesney, Julia Mattiace, and Carolyn Rainey.

Even though they aren’t all still pitchers, we are proud of you and the rest of the team and are cheering for you every step of the way! Our mission has always been to make Illinois the BEST state for softball in the country. Whether an athlete trains with us for one session, five years (or even not at all), we believe that increasing access to quality instruction and passion for the game has a ripple effect across the state.

The rise of elite talent in Oak Park and surrounding areas

I came across a really powerful Instagram post from @dr3fastpitch and didn’t want it to get lost in the scroll—so I’m sharing it here as a blog. It’s worth taking a moment to read and showing your daughter.

When a teammate makes an error, I often ask pitchers, “What should you do as a pitcher in that moment?” Most of the time, they’ll say something like, “I’ll tell the first basemen that it’s okay, you’ll get it next time.” That’s supportive—but there’s an even more powerful response I learned as a college pitcher.

My coach taught me to respond with, “Don’t worry, I’ve got you. I’ll strike the next girl out for you.” And then go out and do it.

With the NCAA Women’s College World Series kicking off yesterday, I wanted to share a special story that was sent to us by Brad Albers, dad of Elisabeth Albers from Hamlin Park Lions 10U team. Elisabeth’s grandmother, Cindy Albers, has an incredible softball legacy—she played in the very first Women’s College World Series in 1969!

Her hometown newspaper featured a great article in 2022 about her journey and her role as a pioneer in a tournament that’s now watched by over 1.1 million people. It’s wild to think how far the game has come—and how women like Cindy helped lay the foundation.

A few things stood out to me from the article. Her attitude was truly inspiring.

In the last 10 years, only one team in the DI WCWS had pitchers from Illinois on it. As far as high school competition, the IHSA used to have a state bracket in which the winner of the city tournament went directly downstate. Unfortunately, the city schools lost too many games by too much of a margin, so they began to mix the city conference with the near suburbs to make the championships more competitive. The city's conference is improving though, with Marist winning 3 state championships since 2010 and a few schools sending players to university with softball scholarships.

11. “My daughter will reach her full potential by playing in local travel tournaments and on a city high school team. Illinois competition is enough to elevate her to the NCAA or the state finals.”